A series of new fact sheets that describe the iRAP methodology is now available for download. The fact sheets answer many of the questions people have about the iRAP approach, covering topics such as crash types, Star Rating Score equations, model...

New cars today do more to protect life than vehicles just 10 years ago, and by 2025, half of the cars on the road in Europe will be capable of “reading” signs and markings.

However, Roads that cars can read, a report published by EuroRAP and Euro NCAP, finds that inadequate maintenance and differences in road markings and traffic signs are now a major obstacle to the effective use of technology in vehicles, such as lane departure warning and traffic sign recognition.

John Dawson (EuroRAP, Chairman) said “Lane markings are now the ‘rails’ for self-steering vehicles.” Michiel van Ratingen added “We set demanding standards for 5-star cars.  We must now move towards 5-star roads where the quality of road markings and signs are assured to work with modern vehicles.”

The latest report from the Road Safety Foundation shows that single carriageway roads are now 7 times more risky than motorways.

As the flowers by the roadside attest, the main crash type causing death is running off the road. The main crash type causing serious injury are brutal junction impacts.

The report measures and maps the risk of death and serious injury road uses face on the British network where the majority of lives are lost – on motorways and ‘A’ roads outside cities. It shows road travel is getting measurably safer, particularly because of improving vehicle safety.

The report comes at a time when the government has recognised Britain is falling behind other countries and announced the “biggest ever upgrade of our existing roads worth up to £50bn over the next generation”.

iRAP has been fortunate to benefit from the support of a number of volunteers who have graciously shared their time, expertise and enthusiasm for road safety.

We’ve recently been recognising their valuable contributions to our efforts to save lives with the ‘5-star volunteer’ award. The volunteers recognised are:

• Emily McLean, who volunteered in Vietnam.
• Nana Soetantri, who volunteered in Indonesia.
• Morgan Fletcher, who volunteered in Mexico.
• Adam Ritzinger, who volunteered in the Philippines.
• Gina Waibl, who volunteered in Bangladesh.
• Nicole Borkowsky, who volunteered to help build our quality systems.

We also appreciate that volunteers’ home organisations were supportive of the initiative.

Delegates from motoring clubs, road authorities, development banks, universities and companies gathered in Mexico recently for the second iRAP Latin America and Caribbean Workshop.

To date, iRAP has been used by 15 countries in the region to assess more than 80,000km of roads. This rich set of data not only provides a strong foundation for investment in safety in each country, but also holds enormous potential for regional benchmarking.

The workshop discussed numerous exiting developments. Paraguay, for example, is committed to eliminating 1- and 2-star roads, while in Belize, iRAP is being integrated into the nation’s road maintenance planning and the capital works programme.

Click here to see more photos from the workshop.

Leading experts are collaborating to provide an ‘International Handbook of Road Safety’ to support the implementation of the UN Decade of Action for Road Safety.

The Handbook, coordinated by Monash University, the Commission for Global Road Safety and the University of Michigan, is being written by leading road safety, public health and regulatory scholars, along with leading figures from non-governmental organisations and industries, into a single volume. 

This book will serve as an important reference point for the Global Ministerial Conference on Road Safety which is due to be held in 2015, at the mid-point of the UN Decade of Action for Road Safety. It will highlight the importance of including road traffic injury prevention within the post-2015 development agenda, as an issue impacting on wider goals for health, poverty reduction, reducing carbon emissions and promoting social justice. 

The book is expected to be released in May 2014 to coincide with the third anniversary of the launch of the UN Decade of Action for Road Safety.

AusRAP has assessed risk on almost 22,000km of national highways in Australia and identified opportunities to dramatically cut road trauma.

The report, produced by the AAA, finds that almost 40% of the national network is rated 1- or 2-star.  More than 60% per cent of the network surveyed falls within the 3- to 4-star ranges.

The AusRAP report also shows that an investment of just over $4.7 billion has the potential to more than halve the number of roads rated 1- and 2-stars  and prevent over 36,000 fatalities and serious injuries during a 20-year period. 

The Safer Roads Investment Plan, which would save $3.50 in crash costs for each $1 invested, includes countermeasures such as: safety barriers, skid resistance and protected turning lanes at intersections.

The AusRAP report was produced with financial assistance from the Australian Government and with support from the State and Territory road and transport authorities.

A new ANWB report finds that although the Netherlands is a world leader in road safety, additional efforts are needed in order to achieve the national target.

The report finds that most (62%) of the nation’s provincial roads are rated just 1- or 2-stars for vehicle occupants. This helps to explain why more than 25% of fatal crashes take place on provincial roads although together these roads account for only 6% of the total Dutch road network. 

Provincial roads are generally well managed and maintained but the combination of a high speed limit (80 km/h) and the profiles of these roads means that a great many of them are not suited to handling large traffic flows safely.

Numerous safety improvements are suggested in the report, such as safety barriers, street lights and rumble strips.

While the current report focuses on vehicle occupants, a second edition is planned which will examine the unique features of bicycling infrastructure in the Netherlands.

A new report published by ARRB Group examines issues that are thought to be preventing the uptake of ‘Safe System’ infrastructure in low- and middle-income countries.

The report is a summary of a workshop held in Bangkok, Thailand as part of the 2012 GRSP / iRAP Asia Pacific Workshop involving delegates from governments and road authorities around the Asia-Pacific region. The aims of the workshop were to raise awareness of Safe System infrastructure treatments, such roundabouts, safety barriers and pedestrian crossings, and explore factors impeding their implementation.

Although cost was often cited as an impediment, factors relating to design, user compliance and maintenance were also considered to be very important. 

The outcomes of the workshop will help road authorities, researchers and industry understand ways in which the uptake of highly effective infrastructure treatments can be accelerated. The information will also be used to update the Road Safety Toolkit. 

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